Reigning Queens by Andy Warhol

Reigning Queens by Andy Warhol

Queen Elizabeth’s portrait is made from a photograph taken in 1977 for her Silver Jubilee. The photographic silkscreen technique used is central to Warhol’s practice, employed in both his prints and paintings.

The same basic image of each queen appears in each of her four prints but they vary in color. This print has a primarily red background and features graphic shapes printed from separate screens. Warhol began working in this style in the mid-1970s, fragmenting the image with various overlaid shapes and patches of color. In contrast to his earlier prints where the appearance of impersonal, mechanical reproduction was essential to their meaning, these interventions in the image gave the work a deliberately ‘artistic’ look. In many of his female portraits, such as here, the multicolored surfaces and suggestion of make-up enhance the glamour and femininity of the subjects. With characteristic ambivalence, Warhol explained his additions to these later prints as immaterial:

‘I really would still rather do just a silkscreen of the face without all the rest, but people expect just a little bit more. That’s why I put in all the drawing.’

The loud and vivid use of color sparks attention to the subject and creates a solid movement around the portrait drawing attention to her piercing eyes and gentle facial renderings. Completed by Warhol in 1985, the Reigning Queens series includes Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland. Andy Warhol created the Reigning Queens series during the mid-1980s, arguably his most prolific period.

About the Artist:

Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. Andy Warhol’s works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. Andy Warhol’s Marilyn and Andy Warhol’s Soup Cans are some of the most recognized and collectible of his artworks. From Andy Warhol Paintings to Andy Warhol Prints and unique pieces, the artist’s works are available for sale from Guy Hepner.

More than twenty years after his death, Andy Warhol remains one of the most influential figures in contemporary art and culture. Warhol’s life and work inspires creative thinkers worldwide thanks to his enduring imagery, his artfully cultivated celebrity, and the ongoing research of dedicated scholars. His impact as an artist is far deeper and greater than his one prescient observation that “everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” His omnivorous curiosity resulted in an enormous body of work that spanned every available medium and most importantly contributed to the collapse of boundaries between high and low culture.

For more information on work like Reigning Queens by Andy Warhol, contact info@guyhepner.comcreate new email.

Artwork

queen elizabeth, andy warhol, pop art , prints
Queen Elizabeth 336 by Andy Warhol
Queen Elizabeth 336 by Andy Warhol
345 Queen Margrethe II by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 345 by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 345 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands FS II 338 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands FS II 338 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix Of The Netherlands II.339 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands F.S. II 339 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands F.S. II 339 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix Of The Netherlands FS II 340 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands F.S. II 340 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands F.S. II 340 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix Of The Netherlands [II.341] by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix Of The Netherlands II.341 by Andy Warhol
Queen Beatrix Of The Netherlands II.341 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland FS II 346 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 346 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 346 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland FS II 347 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 347 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 347 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 348 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 348 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland FS II 349 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 349 by Andy Warhol
Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland F.S. II 349 by Andy Warhol
344 Queen Margrethe II by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 344 by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 344 by Andy Warhol
343 Queen Margrethe II by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 343 by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 343 by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark FS II 342 by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 342 by Andy Warhol
Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark F.S. II 342 by Andy Warhol
337 Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol
Queen Elizabeth II F.S. II 337 by Andy Warhol
Queen Elizabeth II F.S. II 337 by Andy Warhol
Reigning Queens by Andy Warhol
334 Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol
334 Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol
andywarhol, pop, warhol, pop art, 335 Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol
335 Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol
335 Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol